The staff at Renew Hair & Skin Center in Bingham Farms: Office manager Carolyn

Ford, co-owner Suzie Meklir, skin aesthetician Brooke Steingold and co-owner Robin

Pluto. Ford, 73, of Southfield joined the staff after several months as a client.

"Sharing my story gives other clients the confidence to join the Renew family," says

Ford, who has been undergoing LLLT for almost a year with "remarkable results."

percent of American hair loss sufferers."
There are many causes for acceler-
ated hair loss, including various types of
alopecias, primarily androgenic alopecia
(genetic male- and female-pattern bald-
ness), traction alopecia (the result of too
much puffing, straightening, bleaching
and use of extensions in the hair) and
alopecia areata, sudden hair loss resulting
in bald patches on the scalp often because
of stress.
Also responsible are metabolic reasons
such as abnormal thyroid levels; prescrip-
tion medications, including chemotherapy
drugs; aging and hormonal changes, like
menopause; and stress.
"No matter what the cause,' says
Southfield psychotherapist Brenda Strausz,
"loss of hair can be devastating —
to women in particular. This is because of
the significance society places on outward
appearances. Because hair is regarded as
a symbol of beauty and femininity, this
loss can greatly affect self-esteem."

How LLLT Works

The possible application of low level lasers
for hair loss therapy was first noticed in
the 1960s by Hungarian physician Endre
Mester, who is credited with discovering
the positive biological effects of low level
laser treatments.
He had been experimenting with the
effects of these lasers on skin cancer and
diabetic sores. While applying lasers to
the backs of shaven mice, he noticed that

the shaved hair grew back more quickly
and thickly on the treated group than the
untreated group.
LLLT employs cool laser light "that can-
not penetrate through tissue says Pluto.
"But it increases blood circulation to the
scalp — and when blood stops going to
an area of the scalp, the hair follicles start
to die.
"It also boosts the metabolic rate of
cells, throwing a follicle into the first phase
of hair growth and increasing the amount
of hair coming out of a single follicle.
Where before there was one hair, two to
four strands come out of a single follicle
so that hair gains volume and therefore
coverage."
The treatment also calms down hair
follicle inflammation caused by sebum,
which is secreted by glands in the scalp
and can block nutrients from getting into
the follicle. Sebum can be invisible to the
naked eye but makes it practically impos-
sible for hair to grow.
Sebum is related to high levels of the
male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT),
which is strongly linked in both men and
women to androgenic alopecia, or genetic
pattern baldness. It appears to make the
follicles go into their resting phase faster,
which causes the hairs produced by those
follicles to become thinner and thinner
with each successive growth cycle until
they eventually become dormant.
When Meklir and Pluto discovered and
researched LLLT, first on the Internet and

then in travels across the country, they
examined many devices alleged to help
the problems associated with hair loss.
They were not satisfied with what they
saw in many franchises offering LLLT —
including the quality of the laser hoods,
some of which used lights rather than
actual low level lasers.
Pluto, responsible for business develop-
ment and technology at Renew, decided
to seek out a laser engineer and have him
build a laser hood to her own specifica-
tions. The design was based on the science
of photogenesis, which occurs when laser
light is absorbed by cells, stimulating cell
metabolism and improving blood flow.
The engineer trained both Pluto and
Meklir in the use of the apparatus.
The lasers used in LLLT — referred to
as "cold" lasers because they do not have
the thermal component to damage tissue
— have FDA clearance. However, the laser
hoods themselves used in clinical settings
do not.
"That's because they all are designed
differently and have not been individually
studied," says Pluto.

A Business Is Born

"Within three months of use of our LLLT
hood, my hair was back to normal:' says
Meklir, primarily responsible for sales and
marketing at Renew, which is located in
the Bingham Office Park.
Before they opened, the co-founders
spent more than a year in a makeshift space
in Meklir's basement testing their LLLT
hood and conducting their own studies on
family and friends experiencing varying
degrees of hair loss — with good results.
"We have the strongest unit out there
that promotes hair growth',' asserts Pluto.
"Our laser is a medical-grade laser rather
than a cosmetic-grade laser. Our hood is a
helmet that covers the entire scalp rather
than a panel hood, which does not provide
full coverage.
"We're always keeping up with the new-
est technology," she adds. "Currently we
are working on and testing an even more
powerful prototype that uses multi-level
lasers that attack all the problems causing
hair loss."
LLLT, unlike hair transplants, are
painless with no recovery time, Meklir
explains. Unlike topicals such as minoxidil
and Propecia, there is no initial shedding
or side effects and no daily, lifelong appli-
cation regimen.
"Treatment is finite — 12 months is
recommended. However, some mainte-
nance is necessary:' says Meklir. "Once
treatment is finished, we suggest clients
come in once a month, once every six

Renewed on page 28

Tales From
The 'Hood'

Both men and
women dealing
with hair loss
share experiences
with LLLT.

Kim Higginbottom, female, 51,
Farmington Hills, home health
care physical therapist; LLLT for
6 months
"My family was kind of tired of
finding hair in the refrigerator.
There was hair everywhere. It was
coming out at an alarming rate. It's
definitely a genetic thing; both my
sister and my brother were shed-
ding hair, and my dad was com-
pletely bald.
"I started noticing improvement
after six weeks of LLLT with signif-
icantly less hair loss. I've had great
results. I started coming to Renew
before you could see my scalp. I
think I started LLLT during a good
window because it's said you get
best results within five years of
noticing hair loss.
"I now have hair in places where
I never had it before – like those
little triangles at the sides of my
forehead. My hairdresser can't
believe how healthy my scalp looks
and how thick and healthy my hair
has become. LLLT has made a
night-and-day difference.
"Meanwhile, my brother and
sister are still clogging up their
drains. Both are planning to start
treatment this year."

Name withheld, male, early 40s,
Birmingham, works in finance;
LLLT for 7 months
"I first tried to improve my
thinning hair with minoxidil, but
I hated it and the way it smelled
– and I didn't get results. So I
switched to Propecia; it worked,
but I hated the side effects. I went
to another facility that offered a
similar service to Renew for an
entire year, but it was ineffective.

From The 'Hood' on page 28

January 27 s 2011

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